NASA to Welcome Expedition 74 Astronauts Home at Space Center Houston

NASA will welcome home the Expedition 74 crew during a public event at Space Center Houston following their return from a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station.

Event Details

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams; ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot; and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev will share mission highlights at 6 p.m. CST Tuesday, Nov. 17, at NASA Johnson Space Center’s visitor center. An awards ceremony recognizing key mission contributors will follow the presentation.

The astronauts will be available for media interviews before the event. Media may request an in-person interview no later than 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, by emailing the JSC Newsroom at [email protected].

Mission Background

Williams, Kud‑Sverchkov, and Mikaev launched aboard the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Nov. 27, 2025. The trio returned to Earth on July 26, making a parachute-assisted landing southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. The crew was in space for 241 days, orbiting the Earth 3,856 times and traveling more than 102 million miles.

Meir, Hathaway, and Adenot launched aboard a Dragon spacecraft on Feb. 13 as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. After more than seven months aboard the space station, Meir, Hathaway, and Adenot safely splashed down on Oct. 8 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles.

During their 237-day mission, the four crew members traveled more than 100 million miles and completed more than 3,792 orbits around Earth. Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev also flew as part of Crew-12 but is unavailable for the event.

Research and Operations

The Expedition 74 crew dedicated more than 1,400 hours to scientific research and technology demonstrations aboard the International Space Station. Its work advanced in-space manufacturing by testing metal and tissue 3D-printing technologies and supported human health studies examining the effects of long-duration spaceflight. Research included blood flow studies, assessments of piloting capabilities under changing gravitational conditions, and activation of a new compact exercise system. The crew also evaluated life-support and environmental systems critical to future exploration missions under NASA’s Artemis program.

In addition, the crew members conducted pharmaceutical research to crystalize proteins for cancer medications, advance tumor targeting treatments, and grow stem cells for therapeutics. They cared for the first set of plants studied outside of curated systems, upgraded an instrument used to advance our understanding of matter and develop new quantum technologies, managed visiting spacecraft, and performed essential maintenance to support the continued operation of the orbiting laboratory.

Beyond research and operational achievements, Expedition 74 engaged students and audiences around the world through live educational events, outreach activities, and the sharing of stunning imagery that highlights the importance of scientific discovery and international collaboration in space.

For more than 26 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

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Sources

• nasa.gov: NASA to Welcome Expedition 74 Astronauts Home at Space Center Houston - NASA

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